My duck keeps ripping out his feathers!!!

[Bruiser21]

I went out to check on my ducks today and there were feathers all over the pool that they swim in. It's only one of my ducks. He pulled out all of his feathers that we had clipped about 6 months ago so he can't fly off........again. There are also many more missing. He looks awful. I'm not sure whats going on. About a week ago we had to put him in a small kennel everynite becuz we have a very aggressive drake that keeps raping him. I was scared he was going to end up hurting him so I felt that was best for him at nite when they are all in there fenced off area together. In the morning I let my drake in the main yard and let him out of the kennel to stay in the fenced off area. Could this be the reason he is destroying himself or is he just moulting??

 

[GardenerGal]

It sounds like he's just moulting. When moulting ducks preen themselves, any loose feathers will get pulled out during that grooming.Those feathers would have fallen out on their own sooner or later. I wouldn't worry.

Around the time that ducklings are growing up, is when adult ducks (and geese, with goslings) moult. Makes sense, since the time when wild ducks would be "stuck" on the ground is when they have their babies that can't fly yet. The new plumage is in and ready in time for fall migration (keeping in mind that even though we have domestic ducks and geese, their bodies are still "wired" for ancestral behaviors like migration).

 

[RubberDuckee]

I agree with GardenerGal. In a span of a few hours my entire back porch was 'head-to-toe' feathers. The ducks' stall was covered in feathers. Heck, my poor horses' stalls even had feathers in them. I thought there was something wrong, but they were just suddenly molting.